Carbohydrate-Gate

by Liz Applegate, Ph.D.

Recent reports may have you thinking that carbohydrates are scandalously bad. Think again

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If "image is everything," as a popular TV commercial contends, then carbohydrates are in need of a good P.R. firm. Long considered a runner's best friend, carbohydrates are getting a lot of negative publicity these days.

What's behind all these carb barbs? Americans are being led to believe that their ever-widening waistlines are the direct result of eating too many carbohydrates, and not enough protein or fat. In other words: Protein and fat--good. Carbohydrates--bad. Of course, this is nonsense.

Rather, carbohydrates, protein, and fat are all good in the correct proportions. And when a runner friend of mine recently told me he had decided to switch his postrun snack from fresh fruit to beef jerky in order to "avoid those heavy carbs," I knew it was time to set the record straight.

So here's the real deal on how much of the big three nutrients you need in your diet to help you lose weight, get healthier, and run better.


Carbohydrate bashing isn't a new phenomenon. High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets got their start back in the 1800s when a man named William Banting published a pamphlet documenting the new diet that had helped him lose a lot of weight. Following his physician's advice, Banting cut all breads and most vegetables from his diet, while continuing to eat meat and drink sherry. Like the modern-day Atkins diet, which first appeared in the 70s and was recycled in the 90s, Banting's new diet seemed to show that if you eliminate carbohydrates from your daily fare, you'll drop a lot of weight quickly. The underlying logic: Carbs make you fat (hold that thought).

Fast forward to the 1980s. Based on some well-documented and highly publicized studies, Americans decided that fat was, well, fattening. The new message: Eat more carbohydrates and less fat. So we went hog-wild and started gobbling up fat-free and high-carbohydrate foods such as bagels and fat-free cookies. But Americans continued to put on pounds at an alarming pace despite the fact that we were eating less fat and more carbs.

Once again, carbohydrates looked like the culprit.

Throughout this nutritional drama, however, one very important concept was overlooked: Calories are what count. No matter where you get them--from carbohydrate, protein, or fat--if you take in too many calories relative to the number you burn each day, you'll gain weight (about 3,500 extra calories translates to one pound of fat). The high-protein diet plans of Banting and Dr. Atkins work for one key reason: As you cut the carbs from your diet, you also cut about 1,000 calories. Thus, you lose weight. And much of the initial weight lost is from water loss not fat loss.

The real deal: Excess carbohydrates are not to blame for our weight woes.

Excess calories are.

Carbs and Weight Loss
So, losing weight is simple: Burn more calories than you eat. And to keep the weight off, you need to consistently balance calories in with calories out. Again, simple, but not necessarily easy. Sticking to a low-calorie diet can be tough when hunger pangs strike. So what's a dieter to do?

According to countless studies, eating a low-calorie diet that's packed with several servings of fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains (read: high-carbohydrate foods) is the key to losing weight and keeping it off. Fiber is filling, and studies show that fiber-rich foods help stave off hunger.

But reach for the "wrong" high-carb foods, such as fat-free cookies and other sweets, and you might wind up feeling hungry a short while later. Why? The high-sugar and low-fiber content of these foods can actually trigger feelings of hunger.

And when it comes to maintaining weight loss, fat is definitely out, and carbs are in. A recent study verified that people who take in about 55 percent of their calories from carbohydrates have a lower calorie intake and weigh less than folks who eat just 40 percent of their calories from carbohydrates.

This is mainly because people who eat a low-carb diet tend to eat more fat. And since fat has twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrate, it's easy to exceed your calorie needs. Just picture yourself polishing off a 400-calorie slice of cheesecake. You'd probably finish the piece and still have room for (and want) another. But if you ate the same number of calories in fresh fruit, you'd most likely feel satisfied, if not ready to burst.

The real deal: For weight loss, maintain a lower-calorie diet whereby at least half of your calories come from high-quality carbohydrates. This will not only help you lose weight and keep it off, it will also help you achieve the new government recommendations for fiber--25 grams per day for women and 38 grams for men. The rest of the calories in your diet should come from healthy fats (fish, nuts, and olive oil) and quality protein (soy, fish, beans, lean meats, and low-fat dairy).

To improve your health, there's good reason to stock up on both carbohydrates and fats. Studies show that diets high in carbohydrates and diets high in certain fats improve health by lowering our risk of chronic ailments such as heart disease. The caveat: Not all carbohydrates and fats are created equal.

High-carbohydrate foods such as vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fruits are loaded with fiber and plenty of disease-fighting vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. This helps explain why countries with ample intake of these foods have low rates of heart disease and diabetes (as well as obesity).

But diets rich in refined high-carbohydrate foods, such as white bread, plain pasta, sugary drinks, and fat-free treats, may lead to the very same health problems. Turns out these highly refined, low-fiber carbohydrates indirectly jack up blood cholesterol and fat levels, particularly in genetically susceptible folks. These carbs may also increase the risk of obesity and diabetes (again in those genetically prone) through complex mechanisms involving the hormones insulin and leptin, which play a role in regulating energy intake.

With fats, the story is similar. Studies of populations that eat a high-fat fare, such as Eskimos and Greeks, show that the type of fat makes a difference when it comes to good health. Monounsaturated fats found in olive and canola oils help lower cholesterol levels and heart-disease risk. And essential fats found in fish and flaxseed also lower chronic disease risk. It's the saturated and trans fats (found in full-fat dairy products, most meats, and hydrogenated vegetable oils) that clog your arteries and increase your risk of multiple diseases.

The real deal: For optimal health, the new government guidelines recommend a diet with 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 20 to 35 percent from fats, with the remainder from quality protein sources. Note: The government established ranges instead of specific amounts so that people could take into account their family history for diabetes, heart ailments, and other chronic diseases.

Carbs for Performance
When athletic performance and endurance are at stake, carbohydrates win hands down over fat. Any runner worth his or her weight in bananas and bagels (whole wheat, of course) knows that carbohydrate is the fuel of choice for running. And to continually replenish your carbohydrate stores, you need to take in a steady supply of carbs. Neither protein nor fat can be converted into carbohydrate for storage as muscle glycogen.

The amount of carbohydrate you need for top performance depends on mileage and total calorie intake. The more you run, the greater your need for carbs.

The real deal: Starting with the government's carbohydrate recommendation of 130 grams daily for fueling the brain, tack on at least another 200 grams for runners devoting 3 to 4 days per week to training (about 15 to 20 miles weekly). As training time increases, so must carbohydrate intake: upwards of 400 to 600 grams daily for you higher mileage runners. This translates roughly to about 2 to 5 grams of carbohydrate for every pound of body weight.

Visit www.lizapplegate.com for more nutrition and fitness tips from Liz.

Cluck, cluck, cluck.

Been there, heard that. Doesn't work.

Actually, there are PLENTY of studies showing carb-loading is LAME compared to higher-fat diets for endurance sports.

She's nothing but a parrot.

Then again, let her squawk all she wants. I've learned different. I'll pay not attention.

I wish that some of these people would actually do some research, like as in actually read DANDR. They all say the same thing, eat whole grains, veggies, fruits, nuts, flax seed, fish. Well Duh! If she actually read the book she would know that Atkins says that too. This WOL is far healthier than the LF crap they have been trying to shove down our throuts. Before I ate LF this, that, etc. etc. Believing what I was told, that it was healthy and would keep the weight off. Bah. I've never felt better & have not been this weight in years.

Trained athletes run on fat!
The point at which your body stops burning carbs and starts burning fat is based on your level of fitness.
Carb loading is necessary for athletes because it not only fills up the glycogen stores but any excess carbs go straight to fat.

danny

I dont think eskimos and greeks use canola oil.
The real deal: Calories do count, but there is a calorie advantage from eating fat. Hunger, that leads to eating more and increasing calories, is caused by eating carbohydrates.
When will these people get a clue.